Google Sheets Management Skill

Purpose

Manage Google Sheets spreadsheets with comprehensive operations:

• Read cell values and formulas
• Write and update cell values
• Append rows to sheets
• Clear cell ranges
• Create new sheets within spreadsheets
• Basic cell formatting (bold, italic, colors)
• Batch updates for efficiency
• Get spreadsheet metadata
• Share OAuth token with all Google skills

Integration: Works seamlessly with google-drive skill for file creation and management

📚 Additional Resources:

• See references/integration-patterns.md for complete workflow examples
• See references/troubleshooting.md for error handling and debugging
• See references/cli-patterns.md for CLI interface design rationale

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• User requests spreadsheet operations: "Read the data from my spreadsheet", "Update the budget sheet"
• User wants to create or modify data: "Add a row to the tracking sheet", "Update cell B5"
• User mentions formulas: "Write a formula to sum column A", "Update the calculation"
• User requests formatting: "Make the header row bold", "Highlight the total in yellow"
• User needs batch operations: "Update multiple ranges", "Fill in the entire data set"
• User asks about spreadsheet structure: "How many sheets are in this workbook?", "What columns exist?"

📋 Discovering Your Spreadsheets:
To list or search for spreadsheets, use the google-drive skill:

# List recent spreadsheets
~/.claude/skills/google-drive/scripts/drive_manager.rb search \
  --query "mimeType='application/vnd.google-apps.spreadsheet'" \
  --max-results 50

# Search by name
~/.claude/skills/google-drive/scripts/drive_manager.rb search \
  --query "name contains 'Budget' and mimeType='application/vnd.google-apps.spreadsheet'"

Core Workflows

1. Read Cell Values

Read single cell:

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "range": "Sheet1!A1"
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb read

Read range of cells:

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "range": "Sheet1!A1:D10"
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb read

Read entire column:

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "range": "Sheet1!A:A"
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb read

Read entire row:

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "range": "Sheet1!1:1"
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb read

Output Format:

{
  "status": "success",
  "operation": "read",
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "range": "Sheet1!A1:D10",
  "values": [
    ["Header1", "Header2", "Header3", "Header4"],
    ["Value1", "Value2", "Value3", "Value4"]
  ],
  "row_count": 2
}

2. Write Cell Values

Write single cell:

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "range": "Sheet1!A1",
  "values": [["Hello World"]]
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb write

Write range of cells:

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "range": "Sheet1!A1:B2",
  "values": [
    ["Name", "Age"],
    ["Alice", 30]
  ]
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb write

Write with formulas:

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "range": "Sheet1!C1",
  "values": [["=SUM(A1:A10)"]],
  "input_option": "USER_ENTERED"
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb write

Input Options:

• USER_ENTERED (default): Parses input as if typed by user (formulas, dates, numbers)
• RAW: Stores input exactly as provided (everything as strings)

Output Format:

{
  "status": "success",
  "operation": "write",
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "range": "Sheet1!A1:B2",
  "updated_cells": 4,
  "updated_rows": 2,
  "updated_columns": 2
}

3. Append Rows

Append single row:

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "range": "Sheet1!A1",
  "values": [["New", "Row", "Data"]]
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb append

Append multiple rows:

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "range": "Sheet1!A1",
  "values": [
    ["Row1Col1", "Row1Col2"],
    ["Row2Col1", "Row2Col2"],
    ["Row3Col1", "Row3Col2"]
  ]
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb append

How Append Works:

• Finds the last row with data in the specified range
• Appends new rows immediately after
• Does not overwrite existing data
• Perfect for logging, tracking, and data collection

4. Clear Cell Values

Clear specific range:

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "range": "Sheet1!A1:D10"
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb clear

Clear entire sheet:

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "range": "Sheet1"
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb clear

Important: Clear only removes cell values, not formatting or formulas

5. Get Spreadsheet Metadata

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz"
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb metadata

Output Format:

{
  "status": "success",
  "operation": "metadata",
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "title": "Budget 2024",
  "locale": "en_US",
  "timezone": "America/Chicago",
  "sheets": [
    {
      "sheet_id": 0,
      "title": "Sheet1",
      "index": 0,
      "row_count": 1000,
      "column_count": 26
    },
    {
      "sheet_id": 123456,
      "title": "Summary",
      "index": 1,
      "row_count": 100,
      "column_count": 10
    }
  ]
}

6. Create New Sheet

Create sheet with default size:

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "title": "Q4 Data"
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb create_sheet

Create sheet with custom size:

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "title": "Large Dataset",
  "row_count": 5000,
  "column_count": 50
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb create_sheet

Default Dimensions:

• Rows: 1000
• Columns: 26 (A-Z)

7. Basic Cell Formatting

Format header row (bold + background color):

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "sheet_id": 0,
  "start_row": 0,
  "end_row": 1,
  "start_col": 0,
  "end_col": 5,
  "format": {
    "bold": true,
    "fontSize": 12,
    "backgroundColor": {
      "red": 0.9,
      "green": 0.9,
      "blue": 0.9,
      "alpha": 1
    }
  }
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb format

Available Format Options:

• bold: true/false
• italic: true/false
• fontSize: Number (e.g., 10, 12, 14)
• backgroundColor: Object with red, green, blue, alpha (0-1 scale)

Important Notes:

• Row and column indices are 0-based (first row = 0, first column = 0)
• Ranges are half-open: start is inclusive, end is exclusive
• To format row 1 (the first row): start_row: 0, end_row: 1

8. Batch Updates

Update multiple ranges efficiently:

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "abc123xyz",
  "updates": [
    {
      "range": "Sheet1!A1:A3",
      "values": [["Value1"], ["Value2"], ["Value3"]]
    },
    {
      "range": "Sheet1!B1:B3",
      "values": [["100"], ["200"], ["300"]]
    },
    {
      "range": "Sheet1!C1",
      "values": [["=SUM(B1:B3)"]]
    }
  ]
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb batch_update

Benefits:

• Single API call for multiple updates
• More efficient than individual writes
• Atomic operation (all succeed or all fail)
• Perfect for populating templates or data imports

A1 Notation Reference

Single Cells:

• A1: First cell
• B5: Column B, Row 5
• Z10: Column Z, Row 10

Ranges:

• A1:B10: Rectangle from A1 to B10
• C5:F20: Rectangle from C5 to F20

Entire Rows/Columns:

• A:A: Entire column A
• C:E: Columns C through E
• 1:1: Entire row 1
• 5:10: Rows 5 through 10

Named Sheets:

• Sheet1!A1:B10: Range on specific sheet
• Q4 Data!A1: Cell A1 on "Q4 Data" sheet
• Use single quotes for sheet names with spaces: 'Budget 2024'!A1

Natural Language Examples

User Says: "Read the budget data from cells A1 to D10"

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "[GET_FROM_CONTEXT_OR_ASK_USER]",
  "range": "Sheet1!A1:D10"
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb read

User Says: "Add a new row with Name: John, Age: 30, City: Chicago"

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "[SPREADSHEET_ID]",
  "range": "Sheet1!A1",
  "values": [["John", 30, "Chicago"]]
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb append

User Says: "Update cell B5 to the value 1000"

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "[SPREADSHEET_ID]",
  "range": "Sheet1!B5",
  "values": [[1000]]
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb write

User Says: "Write a formula in C10 to sum all values in column C from rows 1 to 9"

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "[SPREADSHEET_ID]",
  "range": "Sheet1!C10",
  "values": [["=SUM(C1:C9)"]],
  "input_option": "USER_ENTERED"
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb write

User Says: "Make the first row bold with a gray background"

# First get metadata to find sheet_id
echo '{"spreadsheet_id":"[SPREADSHEET_ID]"}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb metadata

# Then format the row (assuming sheet_id is 0)
echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "[SPREADSHEET_ID]",
  "sheet_id": 0,
  "start_row": 0,
  "end_row": 1,
  "start_col": 0,
  "end_col": 26,
  "format": {
    "bold": true,
    "backgroundColor": {"red": 0.9, "green": 0.9, "blue": 0.9, "alpha": 1}
  }
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb format

User Says: "Clear all data from the sheet"

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "[SPREADSHEET_ID]",
  "range": "Sheet1"
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb clear

Integration with Google Drive Skill

Create Spreadsheet + Populate Data Workflow:

1. Create spreadsheet file (using google-drive skill):

# See google-drive skill for file creation
# Returns spreadsheet_id

2. Populate with data (using this skill):

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "[ID_FROM_DRIVE_SKILL]",
  "range": "Sheet1!A1:C3",
  "values": [
    ["Name", "Age", "City"],
    ["Alice", 30, "Chicago"],
    ["Bob", 25, "New York"]
  ]
}' | ~/.claude/skills/google-sheets/scripts/sheets_manager.rb write

3. Share spreadsheet (using google-drive skill):

# See google-drive skill for sharing operations

Authentication Setup

Shared OAuth Token:

• Uses same token as email, calendar, contacts, drive, and docs skills
• Location: ~/.claude/.google/token.json
• Credentials: ~/.claude/.google/client_secret.json

Required Scopes:

• https://www.googleapis.com/auth/spreadsheets (Sheets operations)
• https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive (Drive integration)
• https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents (Docs integration)
• https://www.googleapis.com/auth/calendar (Calendar integration)
• https://www.googleapis.com/auth/contacts (Contacts integration)
• https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.modify (Gmail integration)

First-Time Setup:

1. Run any sheets operation
2. Script will prompt for authorization URL
3. Visit URL and authorize all Google services
4. Enter authorization code when prompted
5. Token stored for future use across all Google skills

Re-authorization:

• Token automatically refreshes when expired
• If refresh fails, re-run authorization flow
• One authorization grants access to all Google skills

Bundled Resources

Scripts

scripts/sheets_manager.rb

• Comprehensive Google Sheets API wrapper
• All core operations: read, write, append, clear, metadata
• Sheet management: create new sheets within spreadsheets
• Basic formatting: bold, italic, colors, font size
• Batch updates for efficiency
• Shared OAuth with all Google skills

Operations:

• auth: Complete OAuth authorization
• read: Read cell values
• write: Write cell values
• append: Append rows to sheet
• clear: Clear cell values
• metadata: Get spreadsheet metadata
• create_sheet: Create new sheet within spreadsheet
• format: Update cell formatting
• batch_update: Batch update multiple ranges

Output Format:

• JSON with status: 'success' or status: 'error'
• Operation-specific data in response
• Exit codes: 0=success, 1=failed, 2=auth, 3=api, 4=args

Ruby Gem Requirement:

gem install google-apis-sheets_v4

References

references/sheets_operations.md

• Complete operation reference with examples
• Parameter documentation for all operations
• Common use cases and patterns
• Error scenarios and solutions

references/cell_formats.md

• Cell formatting options and examples
• Color specifications (RGB + alpha)
• Text formatting (bold, italic, size)
• Background colors and patterns
• Format combinations and best practices

Examples

examples/sample_operations.md

• Real-world usage examples
• Common workflows and patterns
• Data import/export scenarios
• Formula writing examples
• Batch operation patterns

Error Handling

Authentication Error:

{
  "status": "error",
  "error_code": "AUTH_REQUIRED",
  "message": "Authorization required. Please visit the URL and enter the code.",
  "auth_url": "https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth?..."
}

Action: Follow authorization instructions

API Error:

{
  "status": "error",
  "error_code": "API_ERROR",
  "operation": "read",
  "message": "Sheets API error: Requested entity was not found."
}

Action: Verify spreadsheet_id and range, check permissions

Invalid Arguments:

{
  "status": "error",
  "error_code": "MISSING_REQUIRED_FIELDS",
  "message": "Required fields: spreadsheet_id, range"
}

Action: Review command parameters and retry

Range Error:

{
  "status": "error",
  "error_code": "API_ERROR",
  "message": "Unable to parse range: InvalidRange"
}

Action: Check A1 notation syntax, ensure sheet name exists

Best Practices

Getting Spreadsheet ID

1. From URL: Extract from Google Sheets URL
   • URL: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ABC123XYZ/edit
   • ID: ABC123XYZ
2. From google-drive skill: Use search or list operations
3. Store ID: Keep commonly-used spreadsheet IDs in context

Reading Data Efficiently

1. Read only the data you need (specific ranges)
2. Use metadata operation to understand sheet structure first
3. For large datasets, read in chunks
4. Cache read results when making multiple queries

Writing Data Efficiently

1. Use batch_update for multiple ranges
2. Group related updates into single operations
3. Use append for adding rows (don't overwrite)
4. Prefer USER_ENTERED for formulas and dates

Formulas

1. Always use input_option: "USER_ENTERED" for formulas
2. Formula syntax is standard Google Sheets formula language
3. Example: =SUM(A1:A10), =AVERAGE(B:B), =IF(C1>100,"High","Low")
4. Test formulas in Google Sheets UI before automating

Formatting

1. Get sheet_id from metadata operation first
2. Remember: row/column indices are 0-based
3. Format ranges, not individual cells for efficiency
4. Background colors use 0-1 scale (0=0%, 0.5=50%, 1=100%)

Sheet Management

1. Check existing sheets with metadata before creating
2. Use descriptive sheet names
3. Default size (1000x26) works for most use cases
4. Create larger sheets only when needed

Quick Reference

Read values:

echo '{"spreadsheet_id":"ID","range":"Sheet1!A1:B10"}' | sheets_manager.rb read

Write values:

echo '{"spreadsheet_id":"ID","range":"Sheet1!A1","values":[["Data"]]}' | sheets_manager.rb write

Append rows:

echo '{"spreadsheet_id":"ID","range":"Sheet1!A1","values":[["Row1"],["Row2"]]}' | sheets_manager.rb append

Write formula:

echo '{"spreadsheet_id":"ID","range":"Sheet1!C1","values":[["=SUM(A1:A10)"]],"input_option":"USER_ENTERED"}' | sheets_manager.rb write

Get metadata:

echo '{"spreadsheet_id":"ID"}' | sheets_manager.rb metadata

Clear range:

echo '{"spreadsheet_id":"ID","range":"Sheet1!A1:Z100"}' | sheets_manager.rb clear

Create sheet:

echo '{"spreadsheet_id":"ID","title":"New Sheet"}' | sheets_manager.rb create_sheet

Format cells:

echo '{"spreadsheet_id":"ID","sheet_id":0,"start_row":0,"end_row":1,"start_col":0,"end_col":5,"format":{"bold":true}}' | sheets_manager.rb format

Batch update (multiple operations in one call):

echo '{
  "spreadsheet_id": "ID",
  "requests": [
    {
      "updateCells": {
        "range": {"sheetId": 0, "startRowIndex": 0, "endRowIndex": 1, "startColumnIndex": 0, "endColumnIndex": 5},
        "fields": "userEnteredFormat.backgroundColor,userEnteredFormat.textFormat.bold",
        "userEnteredFormat": {
          "backgroundColor": {"red": 0.2, "green": 0.6, "blue": 0.9},
          "textFormat": {"bold": true}
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "updateCells": {
        "range": {"sheetId": 0, "startRowIndex": 1, "endRowIndex": 10, "startColumnIndex": 0, "endColumnIndex": 1},
        "fields": "userEnteredFormat.textFormat.italic",
        "userEnteredFormat": {
          "textFormat": {"italic": true}
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}' | sheets_manager.rb batch_update

Common Workflows

Data Entry Workflow

1. Get metadata to understand structure
2. Append new rows with data
3. Optionally format new rows
4. Verify with read operation

Report Generation Workflow

1. Clear existing data (optional)
2. Write headers with formatting
3. Batch update data rows
4. Write formula rows for calculations
5. Format summary/total rows

Data Analysis Workflow

1. Read data range
2. Process data in your code
3. Write results to new range or sheet
4. Add formulas for ongoing calculations

Template Population Workflow

1. Create spreadsheet from template (google-drive)
2. Batch update with personalized data
3. Apply formatting to key areas
4. Share with collaborators (google-drive)

Version History

• 1.0.0 (2025-11-10) - Initial google-sheets skill with comprehensive spreadsheet operations: read/write cells, append rows, clear ranges, sheet management, basic formatting, batch updates, and shared OAuth token with all Google skills (email, calendar, contacts, drive, docs)

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Dependencies: Ruby with google-apis-sheets_v4, google-apis-drive_v3, google-apis-docs_v1, google-apis-calendar_v3, google-apis-people_v1, googleauth gems (shared with all Google skills)